Method and system for network access control

• US 9,749,377 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Sasha, Venkatachalam, Muthaiah, Sharaga, Avishay
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shirazi, Sayed Beheshti
• Application Number:
  US13/976,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20130291075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 726 5, 726 3, 709220, 709229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 : Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus may include a transceiver and a processor circuit coupled to the transceiver. The apparatus may also include a local packet data network access module operable on the processor circuit to schedule for transmission from the transceiver to a mobility management entity (MME) a request from a user equipment (UE) for access to a local network, to generate a request for authentication to be sent to the UE, and to receive authentication information sent in response to the request for authentication. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Claims

1. A home evolved node B (HeNB), comprising:

a transceiver;

a processor circuit coupled to the transceiver; and

a local packet data network access module operable on the processor circuit to;

schedule for transmission from the transceiver to a mobility management entity (MME) a request from a user equipment (UE) for access to a local network;

identify a password-based authentication request comprised in a Bearer Setup Request message received from the MME;

generate a request for password-based authentication to be sent to the UE in a radio resource control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message;

receive an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message from the UE comprising authentication information sent in response to the request for password-based authentication; and

schedule a Bearer Setup Response message for transmission to the MME, the Bearer Setup Response message to comprise the authentication information.

2. The HeNB of claim 1, the request for access comprising a packet data network connectivity (PDN) request to be forwarded to a mobility management entity of a public land mobile network.

3. The HeNB of claim 1, the local packet data network access module operable on the processor circuit to:

verify the authentication information received in response to the request for password-based authentication.

4. The HeNB of claim 1, comprising an outside packet data network access module to maintain a connection to an outside packet data network while the connection to the local network is active.

5. The HeNB of claim 1, the local packet data network access module operable on the processor circuit to retrieve a password from a memory of the apparatus in response to the request for access.

6. The HeNB of claim 1, the request for access comprising a message to be forwarded in an attach request for the MME.

7. The HeNB of claim 1, the local packet data network access module operable on the processor circuit to:

schedule the request for access for transmission by the transceiver to the MME;

generate a request for authentication to link the UE to the local network in response to the request for access; and

verify authentication information sent in response to the request for authentication.

8. The HeNB of claim 1, the local packet data network access module operable on the processor circuit to:

retrieve a list of international mobile subscriber identities (IMSI) of devices permitted access to the local packet data network, in response to the request for access; and

forward the list to the MME.

9. The HeNB of claim 1, the request for access comprising a packet data network connectivity (PDN) request to be forwarded to the MME.

10. The HeNB of claim 1, the request for access comprising a message to be forwarded in an attach request for the MME.

11. A method performed by a home evolved node B (HeNB), comprising:

receiving, at the HeNB, a request of a user equipment (UE) for access to a local packet data network;

scheduling for transmission to a mobility management entity (MME) the request for access;

identifying a password-based authentication request comprised in a Bearer Setup Request message received from the MME;

sending a request for password-based authentication from the HeNB to the UE in a radio resource control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message;

receiving an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message from the UE comprising authentication information at the HeNB in response to the request for password-based authentication; and

scheduling a Bearer Setup Response message for transmission to the MME, the Bearer Setup Response message to comprise the authentication information.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

verifying the authentication information received in response to the request for authentication.

13. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions that, when executed, cause a home evolved node B (HeNB) to:

schedule for transmission to a mobility management entity (MME) a request from a user equipment (UE) for access to a local network;

identify a password-based authentication request comprised in a Bearer Setup Request message received from the MME;

generate a request for password-based authentication to be sent to the UE in a radio resource control (RRC) Connection Reconfiguration message;

receive an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message from the UE comprising authentication information sent in response to the request for password-based authentication; and

schedule a Bearer Setup Response message for transmission to the MME, the Bearer Setup Response message to comprise the authentication information.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the HeNB to:

verify the authentication information received in response to the request for authentication.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the HeNB to maintain a connection to an outside packet data network while the connection to the local network is active.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the HeNB to retrieve a password from a memory of the apparatus in response to the request for access.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the HeNB to:

schedule the request for access for transmission to the MME;

generate a request for authentication to link the UE to the local network in response to the request for access; and

verify authentication information sent in response to the request for authentication.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the HeNB to:

retrieve a list of international mobile subscriber identities (IMSI) of devices permitted access to the local packet data network, in response to the request for access; and

forward the list to the MME.